


Sweet Like Honey

by lothalmoons



Series: Kalluzeb Valentines [2]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: (the female oc is his mom), Baking, M/M, kallus' past, pining?, sharing memories, there's definitely some implied pining, this is just a total fluff fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 05:10:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17677022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lothalmoons/pseuds/lothalmoons
Summary: Zeb's unexpected hobby and their many fond memories bring Zeb and Kallus closer together.





	Sweet Like Honey

The smell that had diffused throughout the _Ghost_ reminded Kallus of the warm, sunny days spent on Coruscant in the small kitchen of his first home. On those days, his mother would be stirring a large bowl that smelled so sweet and delicious and that tasted even better. He remembered pulling at her long skirt, reaching up his small hand to get a small bit of the bowl’s contents, and his mother’s warm, soothing tone.

_“Alex, dear, if you eat the dough before it is baked, there will be no cookies left to be put on the tray.”_

He would protest, maybe with an indignant huff or a whine, still too young to voice his complaints with the elegance his mother possessed. He would reach up again, trying to get his little fingers in the bowl, and she would laugh. Those were some of the only times he could remember his mother doing that. It was unfortunate; she was so beautiful, radiating an unmatched joy, when she was laughing.

And then, undoubtedly, she would let Alex have a little bite of cookie dough - maybe even the spoon to lick if he was behaving well that day. 

His mother had an affinity for baking, but, to his knowledge, nobody in the _Ghost_ crew did. So what was that smell? He traveled down the short hall to the kitchen, the sugary scent growing stronger as he got closer to what he assumed to be its source. What he did not assume, however, was to see Zeb hunched over the small counter, diligently and with great care, removing a tray of pastries from the stove, setting them aside to cool.

“Zeb?” he asked, genuinely puzzled. He took a few steps into the kitchen.

“Oh, Kal,” he greeted him. “Didn’t think anyone was on board.”

“I actually just came in to grab something, but... are you baking something?”

“Oh, heh.” Zeb scratched his head, his stance growing more nervous. “Yeah, I uh… It’s relaxing, y’know?” Zeb paused, lost in his thoughts for a moment. “I don’t have a lotta time to bake anymore, but back on Lasan, I’d make stuff for the royal family and their kits all the time.” When Kallus didn’t respond immediately, Zeb rambled on, “It’s weird, I know. A big guy like me doin’ this - baking things…”

“I think it’s very endearing,” Kallus replied with full honesty, a light tint coloring his cheeks as he smiled.

“Really?” Zeb perked up, losing his self-consciousness. “Well, I guess as long as you don’t find it weird then.” He allowed himself to smile as well, letting warmth fill the space between them.

“Can I…” Kallus paused, uncertain whether he was allowed to ask, “try one?”

An amused grin made its way onto Zeb’s face. “Sure, Kal, ya don’t have to act all shy about it.”

Kallus chuckled and blushed a deeper pink as Zeb handed him one of the square cookies. Upon further inspection, it was unlike any treat he had ever seen before, though it obviously smelled very familiar. It was cooked to a golden brown, the sides being a little darker than the center, with a clear glazing and blue fruit interspersed throughout it. 

“Sorry if it looks a little weird,” Zeb said, preemptively, “It’s one of those things I used to make back on Lasan, and I guess you’re not too familiar with Lasat cuisine. It’s good though,” he added, “Ezra seems to like ‘em.”

“That’s not a very strong argument; that boy eats everything,” Kallus joked, but he was thoroughly persuaded when he took a bite of the cookie. It’s many flavors combined in his mouth to form a rich yet sugary taste that he had never tasted anything like before.  
He finally spoke.

“Honey.”

“What?”

“Honey - in the cookies. That’s what I smelled before.”

Zeb grinned, fondly unearthing memories he had previously kept only to himself. “Lasan had a lotta honey-producing critters, so a lot of pastries include it. When I saw some in the marketplace when we landed just a few days ago that looked so much like the _limpu’ur_ honey I used to bake with, I just had to pick some up.”

Kallus took another bite of the cookie, allowing his senses to take in both the taste of the treat and Zeb’s words. _Limpu’ur_. He had never heard Zeb speak Lasat before, except for a reactionary expletive, and he wondered if Zeb even knew he had done so. It sounded so natural, so beautiful, and he wished he could hear it more. 

“Human dishes use li- honey, too,” he said, after finishing the bite-sized cookie. “My mother used to bake back on Coruscant when I was just a boy; I probably remember a few of her favorite, honey-containing recipes.”

That was the first time Kallus had mentioned his mother, or even anything to do with his past, to any of the Rebels, and he didn’t even realize he had. With Zeb, he simply felt he had nothing to hide; he was an open book when it came to the Lasat, so unlike his personality around everyone else. Zeb just made him feel so comfortable, so safe, and maybe even loved.

“Well, I don’t think Kanan and Ezra are gonna be done with their Jedi training - or whatever they do - for a while yet. Maybe there’s enough time for you to share one of those recipes with me.”

Kallus smiled, his golden eyes showing a tenderness that perfectly matched the mood of the room. “I’d like that very much.”

**Author's Note:**

> Another short fic for @kalluzebweddingplan 's 14 Days of Kalluzeb Valentines prompt list.
> 
> This one was way easier to write than yesterday's just because writing a short, fluffy fic is so much easier than writing a deep (pretty long) and kinda angsty introspective fic. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr! @spoookystardust (I don't think I've ever said this before lol)


End file.
